Marriforth crossing blue tops Carlisle sale at £9000

Averages improved in both sections, albeit for fewer sold, at the crossing-type Bluefaced Leicester sale at Carlisle, where a top price of £9000 was achieved for a Marriforth lamb.

Sale leader from the Fairburn family from Thornton Steward, North Yorks, was a son of the £30,000 M4 Greenriggs, bought at Hawes last year, bred from a home-bred ewe by a £9000 K2 Carry House. He sold down to Builth Wells with W Jones, of the Underwood flock, Upper Rheol, Erwood.

Midlocks pen leader sold for £8000 Ref:RH081021036 Rob Haining / The Scottish Farmer...

The pen leader from the Wight family's Midlock flock, Crawford, sold next at £8000 in a two-way split to J Fallows and Sons, Burnton, New Cumnock, and I Borthwick, Kilnknowe Place, Galashiels. A son of the M1 Riddings, he is out of the home-bred ewe that goes back to K4 Marriforth.

The Thornborrows sold their Dawyck tup for £5500 Ref:RH081021023 Rob Haining / The Scottish Farmer...

Hitting £5500 was a Dawyck ram lamb from the Thornborrow family, Peebles. He is by the £23,000 N1 Giants Causeway, out of a show ewe by J22 the Hewgill and headed home with Lewis and Ridley Browell, Quarry House, Thockrington, Hexham.

Manesty flock top price sold for £5000 Ref:RH081021022 Rob Haining / The Scottish Farmer...

Just behind on £5000 was a Manesty ram lamb from Val Edmondson, brother, Robert and her nephew, Jamie Little, Low Portinscale, Keswick. He is a result of a £2200 N2 Skeughdale bought at Hawes onto a M22 Lakethwaite ewe bought at Hawes for £1800. Robert McTurk, Barlaes, Dalry, Castle Douglas, forked out the cash.

Pen leader for G Dixon sold for £5000 Ref:RH081021039 Rob Haining / The Scottish Farmer...

On the same money was the devil lot number, 666, from Graeme Dixon of the Alwinton, Harbottle, Morpeth. His lamb is by the M1 Tintoside which was purchased at Lanark last year for £2200, and out of a home-bred ewe by the K8 Orra View. He headed home John Park, Dalpeddar, Mennock.

Andy Paton, Craig, Straiton, went to £4200 for the final entry from Jamie Pirie's Blarnavaid pen from Drymen. A son of last year’s £14,000 Blarnavaid, he is out of a Carry House-bred ewe produced from an embryo from Alan Shennan, Farden, making him a full brother to the £14,000 sold at Hawes.

Shepherd, Eddie Stewart brought out the pen leader from Benson Wemyss' BWF Blues flock which went on to realise £4000 selling to GG and M Long, Rathvale, Pennington, Ulverston. One of the second crop of lambs from the £4000 M5 Allanfauld, he is bred from a J3 Whingill sired-dam.

The same money was paid for a lamb from Neil Marston's Highberries flock from, Millstone Moor, Cockermouth. A son of the privately purchased, M9 Carry House, he is out of a M24 Blackburn gimmer, and sold to J Carr, Camphill, Gunnerton, Hexham.

Highberries also received £3500 from AE Armstrong, Eden Park, Kirkoswald, Penrith for a lamb by Highberries Golden Boy.

On the flip side Mr Marston went to £3500 for a lamb by the L2 Highberries, from the Pears family's Sky High flock, Fellside, Caldbeck, Wigton.

Highberries Golden Boy was also behind an ET lamb from RJ Marrs' Binsey flock from High Ireby, Wigton, which made £3500 to Freddy Moore, Highside, Kellah, Haltwhistle.

Matching that £3500 price tag was a Nunscleugh lamb from the Gass family, Bewcastle, Carlisle. He is by the J15 Nunscleugh and sold to Kevin Ridley, Allenshields, Consett, Co Durham, was the final bidder.

WH and DA Gass sold this Nunscleugh tup for£5000 Ref:RH081021035 Rob Haining / The Scottish Farmer...

Nunscleugh also topped the shearlings at £5000 when selling in a three-way split to the Wight family, Midlock; Derek Hall, Firth, Lilyburn, Penicuik; and the Dick family, Hamildean, Peebles. Another by the J15 Nunscleugh, he is out of a Midlock Big Ben sired-ewe.

Another by the same sire made £3800 selling to R and MJ Lee, Harwood Shields, Steel, Hexham.

Second top priced amonst the shearlings was £4500 from the James family's Todhills flock from Midtodhills, Carlisle. He is a son of K1 Penhill out of a home-bred dam by K1 Todhills and sold to GA and DE Thompson, How Burn, Garrigill, Cumbria.

Auctioneers: Harrison and Hetherington

Flock averages

Flock (No.) Top (£) Avg (£)

Ram lambs

Morley (5) 700 500.00

Marriforth (3) 9000 3733.33

Culloch (3) 800 733.33

Assloss (10) 800 550.00

Sky High (3) 3500 1883.33

Dawyck (4) 5500 2500.00

Rowandale (4) 2500 1050.00

Riddings (5) 1600 980.00

Carry House (10) 3200 1950.00

Glenrath (6) 3200 1700.00

Blarnavaid (5) 4200 1620.00

Grennan (6) 700 483.33

Sandholes (5) 700 550.00

Midlock (6) 8000 2916.67

Shitlington (6) 1200 908.33

Kilnstown (4) 700 650.00

Cretlevane (5) 1600 1120.00

Breck House (3) 450 366.67

New Hartrigg (6) 1000 500.00

Nunscleugh (6) 3500 1808.33

Glenlaugh (9) 1100 555.56

Firth (3) 750 633.33

Todhills (7) 1000 521.43

Old Hemley (7) 800 592.86

Ty-Gwyn (4) 800 562.50

Glen (4) 1100 650.00

Underwood (3) 1600 1116.67

Wanwood Hill (4) 650 575.00

Forebrae (3) 2200 1133.33

Alwinton (3) 5000 2283.33

Cairndale (3) 500 400.00

Scarrowmanwick (5) 1000 610.00

Duhonw (10) 3200 1365.00

Black edge (6) 650 516.67

Hill End (4) 1900 987.50

Lund (3) 300 300.00

Hassiewells (7) 500 388.57

Rowntree (6) 700 476.67

Bailey Mill (4) 450 307.50

Far Town (4) 750 545.00

Steel (5) 3000 1440.00

BWF Blues (4) 4000 1762.50

Highberries (5) 4000 2800.00

Hamildean (3) 1400 1200.00

Mcffi (4) 2200 1100.00

Shearlings

Ersock (5) 650 586.00

Nunscleugh (8) 5000 2125.00

Todhills (9) 4500 1252.22

Kirkton (7) 1400 907.14

Sewing Shields (5) 1400 950.00

Scrogton (6) 2200 1275.00

Homilton (12) 1000 708.33

Kilnstown (5) 1800 1060.00

West Butsfield (8) 900 725.00

Branton (6) 950 841.67

Newfield (5) 800 696.00

Quarry House (11) 1300 877.27

Hott Bank (9) 1400 1011.11

Edlingham (6) 1600 1150.00

Morley (6) 800 650.00

Hargill House (6) 1000 805.00